"I never imagined that the Su family's third young master would have cultivated his external skills to such a formidable level. It's truly surprising. But no matter how well you've honed your hard skills, you'll still die today!" The second-in-command of the Qingyu Stronghold, observing the situation, had a gloomy expression and felt irritated. He couldn't believe that in the blink of an eye, most of his men had been killed.
A series of thunderous sounds resonated within his body, and bolts of lightning-like true qi appeared around him. Xiao Hu practiced the Wind Thunder Technique, which transformed his internal energy into wind and thunder forms.
Whoosh! A streak of wind and thunder true qi enveloped his long saber. In the next instant, he shot forward like a cannonball, his blade slashing towards Su Hao.
"Stop him!" Su Yuan and Su Neng, seeing this, unleashed their true qi and rushed towards Xiao Hu.
Clang! Their long sabers clashed with Xiao Hu's. The force of the impact sent them stumbling back several steps, their faces pale and hands trembling as they gripped their weapons. Their bodies shook violently.
"Third Young Master, run quickly!" Their faces grew serious. With the battle dragging on and the family head still not arriving, they feared he might have been intercepted. So they urged Su Hao to flee immediately.
At this moment, Su Hao had finished slaughtering the last few bandits. He was covered in blood, though none of it was his own. It was all from the bandits.
Su Hao had violently killed dozens of bandits with his bare hands, the blood serving as testament to his feats. His entire body surged with energy as he turned his gaze towards Xiao Hu, who had just repelled the combined attack of Su Yuan and Su Neng.
"You brat, you dare not run and even try to attack me? Then I'll grant your wish and cleave you in two!" Xiao Hu's lips curled into a cruel smile. He stomped on the ground, leaping into the air, his saber chopping down towards Su Hao.
"Don't you dare harm the Third Young Master!" Su Yuan and Su Neng, though pushed back, gripped their sabers tightly again. Ignoring the pain in their bodies, they slashed at Xiao Hu's back.
"You two pieces of trash, I'll dispose of you first!" Sensing the attack from behind, Xiao Hu spun in mid-air and chopped towards the two, deciding to kill them first. He wielded his saber like a ferocious beast, lightning flashing along the blade.
"Haha, I'm getting a bit itchy too. Let me take Su Hao's head first!" At this moment, Pan Ta from the Blood Demon Cult took a step forward. His already large frame seemed to make the ground tremble with each step.
Pan Ta had cultivated both his physical body and his strength. Having reached the Earth Realm, he frequently used his true qi to temper his body, making it incredibly sturdy. His skin was like iron, and his hands had a reddish-brown hue. He looked at Su Hao with contempt.
Whoosh! As Pan Ta and the others stepped forward, Su Hao felt a wave of pressure. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his eye.
This guy's blood energy must be immense. If he could absorb it all, Su Hao believed his own body might be strengthened twofold.
"Swish!" At that moment, Su Hao made the first move. He kicked off the ground, using its force to propel himself towards Pan Ta.
"Master, shouldn't we intervene now? That Blood Demon Cult member is at the fifth level of the Earth Realm. Although the Third Young Master's hard skills are extremely strong, he hasn't broken through to the Earth Realm. He doesn't stand a chance!" Shen Chong watched anxiously.
Su Ming's eyes narrowed, gleaming with interest. He had suspected Su Hao was hiding something, but he hadn't expected his son to conceal so much. He could tell that even a first-level Earth Realm expert might not be a match for Su Hao.
He had underestimated his own son.
"Perhaps we know too little about you," Su Ming thought to himself. External skills couldn't be mastered overnight; Su Hao must have paid an enormous price to reach such a level.
He didn't intervene, wanting to see the extent of Su Hao's limits. Of course, if real danger arose, he was confident he could step in and resolve the situation immediately.
Meanwhile, Pan Ta inwardly sneered. Although this Su Hao was fierce, trying to attack him was no different from seeking death.
"Let me show you my power!" Pan Ta grinned, throwing a punch directly at Su Hao's fist. He intended to shatter Su Hao's fist with one blow.
Whoosh! Just as their fists were about to connect, Su Hao, still airborne, flashed a smile. Seeing Su Hao's smile, Pan Ta felt a chill run down his spine.
Then he saw a blood-colored vine shoot out from Su Hao's hand. Before he could react, it pierced through his fist.
The moment his fist was penetrated, a fear of death gripped Pan Ta's heart. His pupils constricted as he frantically mobilized his internal energy, rapidly retreating to shake off the blood-colored vine that had entered his arm through the puncture in his fist.
But the blood-colored vine, upon entering his arm, began to grow wildly. In no time, it had spread throughout his entire arm.
These vines were covered in sharp thorns that absorbed his blood and true qi.
"Ahhh!" The intense pain contorted Pan Ta's face as he howled.
Swish! At that moment, Lu Yi, who hadn't acted before, swung his sword and cut off Pan Ta's arm.
As the severed arm fell to the ground, the blood-devouring demon vines covering it instantly consumed all the flesh and blood.
"This...!" Witnessing this transformation, Lu Yi's pupils constricted, and he looked at Su Hao in terror.
"We're leaving!" Without hesitation, Lu Yi shouted to the screaming Pan Ta. As he spoke, he swiftly retreated, fleeing towards the distance.
"Flee? You underestimate me too much. Everyone here today must die. Blood-devouring demon vines, devour them all!" Su Hao said coldly.
The vines that had consumed Pan Ta's arm, following Su Hao's command, quickly burrowed into the ground and began to grow wildly. Countless blood-devouring demon vines also appeared from the corpses of those Su Hao had slain earlier.
Pan Ta, who had lost an arm and was howling in pain, also tried to flee upon hearing Lu Yi's voice. But blood-colored vines suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, climbing up his body until he was completely enveloped.
Lu Yi's figure shot away, his heart pounding. He dared not look back, focusing all his energy on escape.
But just as he was about to make another leap, a vine suddenly shot out from a nearby rock. Its thorns gleamed with a sharp light, moving so quickly that he had no chance to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the thorns pierced his chest.
He saw the thorns puncture his chest, his vision beginning to blur before his consciousness faded into darkness.
The blood-devouring demon vine that had pierced his chest rapidly spread throughout his body. The tough vines, sharp as swords, suspended his corpse in mid-air as they consumed his flesh and blood.
Splat! In the blink of an eye, a skeleton dropped from the air.